World water crisis is fueling innovation

An exhibition at the London Science museum has just opened showing the extreme measures governments are now considering to deal with climate change. Inventions such as fog catchers, seawater greenhouses and fuel cells powered by microscopic bacteria are all being shown off as possible future solutions to the growing problem of water and food shortages around the world, which are due to get worse with climate change, growing populations and water use.

Sarah Richardson, manager of the museum's "Water Wars" exhibition says, “Many of us don't realize how much fresh water goes into growing our food; it takes 13 bath tubs to make a normal-sized chocolate bar”.

Some of the projects on show include a British made greenhouse which can be used to harness the power of the sun to desalinate sea water and create an oasis for desert areas to grow crops. It already has a commercial scale plant in Australia producing tomatoes. The walls soak up moisture carried by the wind and condense it to grow crops.

Other projects involve using concentrated solar power to create fresh water from sea water and using this to replenish aquifers or complement mains supply. A fuel cell powered by bacteria is also on show. The bacteria use waste water to reproduce, creating an electric current which removes the salt from the sea water. Projects like this are in the early stages however and it could be some time and require considerable funding before the projects become viable on a large scale.